Air Force and Spark Biomedical Launch Trial to Combat Motion Sickness Using Neurostimulation Technology
• Spark Biomedical has secured a $480,000 Defense Health Agency grant to test transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN®) for reducing spatial disorientation in military personnel.
• The innovative trial, led by the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing, aims to address a critical safety issue that has caused over 100 Air Force casualties and $2.3 billion in losses over two decades.
• The study will evaluate 36 participants at Joint Base San Antonio—Randolph using Spark's FDA-cleared Sparrow Ascent platform, offering a potential non-sedating alternative to current pharmacological treatments.
SeaStar Medical's SCD Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for ESRD Treatment
• SeaStar Medical's SCD device receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for treating chronic systemic inflammation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis.
• The SCD targets dysregulated immune responses, aiming to improve survival rates and quality of life for over 480,000 chronic hemodialysis patients in the U.S.
• The designation expedites SCD's development and review process, granting priority review, early patient access, and potential for differentiated market positioning.
• SeaStar Medical aims to demonstrate that SCD therapy can improve survival and clinical outcomes for patients undergoing chronic dialysis by modulating proinflammatory neutrophils and monocytes.
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